Warning Issued Against U.P.'s Isaw

Everyone who studied in University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman knows that the school not only provide stellar education to its students, but also affordable street food near the Kalayaan dormitory and Shopping Center. Street food usually refers to an array of grilled meats, juice drinks, and others.

One of the most sought-after among these street delicacies in U.P. Diliman is the grilled isaw (intestines), which is available at around 3:00 PM. After the isaw is cooked, the vendor will allow the consumer to dip it in vinegar seasoned with garlic and onions. The crunchy exterior of the intestines, the chewy texture of the meat and the aroma of barbecued food are some of the reasons why isaw in U.P. Diliman was considered as one of the most crave delicacies by many iskolar ng bayan.

The problem is that, aside from high in cholesterol, street food in the country did not pass the quality standards of the government. According to the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) and the Center for International Migration and Development (CIMD), food samples from Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, Laguna, and U.P. Diliman did not pass the same process as certified food establishments.

In a report on the same subject, Inquirer.net quoted CIMD food consultant Dietmar Speckmaier, who said, "Initial results of the study showed significant amounts of pathogens like salmonella and E. coli [present in the food items examined]." Speckmaier pointed out: "The amount is significant enough to make people sick."

For the record, the DOST-CIMD study did not specifically identify the vendors who were selling "unsafe" street food. Perhaps, street food fans in the areas identified should just be more discerning about where they get their fix.

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Kidnapping and Murder Capital of PHL?

Do you know that Cotabato City was known as the "kidnapping capital" of Mindanao in the 1990s? Well, the moniker might further change following a report released to the press showing that 85 murders were committed in the city last year.

Trying to avert the shameful label of being the "kidnapping and murder capital of the Philippines", a dozen peace activists from various foreign-assisted peace advocacy outfits are now contemplating to embark on a roundtable forum to discuss the city’s security woes.

It was only after the January 10 near-fatal ambush of Cotabato Vice-Mayor Muslimin Sema that the city’s mixed Muslim and Christian sectors learned that 85 local residents have been killed in 2011.

An incumbent member of the city council, Froilan Melendrez, told reporters that only a small fraction of the murder cases have been solved by the local police.

"When they say solve, they mean corresponding cases have been filed in court," Melendrez told the Philippine Star.

He said the city council is now in possession of documents detailing how many people were killed here the past 12 months.

City police director Danny Reyes, in an interview with Catholic station dxMS here, did not refute the facts Melendrez revealed.

Reyes, however, assured the public that they are doing everything to prevent escalation of crimes in the city.

Along with the 85 killings in 2011 were more than a dozen bombings, more than a dozen supposed bomb attacks were foiled by members of the Army’s 6th Ordnance and Explosive Detachment with their prompt deactivation of powerful improvised explosive devices in different spots here.

Sources from the city's media community, among them officials of the local chapters of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas and the National Union of Journalists, said most of the unsolved murders were perpetrated by notorious guns-for-hire, virtually unfazed by the heavy presence of policemen and battle-ready combatants of the 7th Marine Battalion in the city’s key entry and exit routes.

Two popular hosts of a public affairs program of the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation here, Jeff Mendez and Marychill Faunillan-Hawtay, took turn in asking why the city police office has been reluctant to provide journalists with data on the crimes and other peace and security issues besetting the 37 barangays here.

Chua Yu Beng, a senior official of the city’s Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, earlier said there is an impression now among some of them that ordinary city residents are no longer safe because even the city’s supposedly influential and powerful vice mayor almost got killed in a daring attack last January 10.

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Measures to Protect Women and Children

Women and children are vulnerable segments of the population in almost all parts of the world. Incidences of violence committed against these sectors of the population impede the achievement of objectives of development and peace. Violations committed against women and children both infringe the enjoyment of basic human rights and fundamental freedom. The most pervasive form of gender-based violence against women is reported to be abuse by husbands or intimate partners. Sexual assault is also common, but only a small fraction of rapes are reported to the police.

Based on police records physical abuse is the most common violation committed against women. Incidences of sexual abuse and emotional abuse likewise are increasing. Statistics also showed that sexual abuse, specifically attempted rape, constituted the bulk of cases of violence against children that were reported to the PNP. Physical injuries came in second.

Meanwhile, children in especially difficult circumstances or those needing special protection are estimated at 2.9 million. Children in this situation are either physically, sexually or emotionally abused; exploited sexually and in hazardous labour conditions; in conflict with the law; and victims of other forms of abuse like drug abuse, drug sales, child trafficking and abduction. A total of 5,692 incidents were reported to the WCCD categorized as crimes committed against children in 2004.

Countermeasures

The Philippine government is a signatory to all United Nations declarations and conventions that pertain to women, particularly violence against women, and has gone much ahead of other countries in coming up with very specific measures to address it. Since 1986, it has been actively and consciously promoting issues concerning women including gender equality, a policy that aims to eradicate gender-based inequalities and enable women and men to equally contribute to and benefit from development.

On the legislative front, the passage of laws relating to violence against women, the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 or R. A. No. 8353, and the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 or R. A. No. 7877, and most recently, the law against violence inflicted on women in intimate relations, constitute some of the landmark achievements in the advancement of women rights in the Philippines. To some extent, this legislation redefined the view of the justice system on gender-based violence thereby freeing women and children from the fear of injustice. There are still other pending bills in Congress against trafficking in human beings, particularly women and children, domestic violence and prostitution.

In addition to legal reforms, institutional reforms and new programmes were undertaken by the government to prevent violence against women and children. An Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) on Violence against Women has been organized by the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) to better protect the rights of women especially the most vulnerable, such as women in detention, women in situations of trafficking and prostitution, women workers, as well as victims and survivors of violent incidences. Aside from the NCRFW, agencies included in the IAC are the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Department of Budget Management (DBM), Department of Education (DepEd), DILG, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), NAPOLCOM, PNP, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of National Defence (DND), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

The PNP has also established the Women and Children Concerns Desks in police stations nationwide to provide specialized services to victims of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC). The Department of Health has 44 hospitals with Women’s and Children’s Protection Units. The DSWD created Crisis Intervention Units and implemented regular programmes for women and children in especially difficult circumstances in all regions in the country. The NBI has set up one-stop-shop VAW desks. Community-based programs have been strengthened to respond to the needs of the victims and their families. These include providing psychosocial interventions and various forms of educational, legal, and medical assistance, as well as extending support services including livelihood programmes to families, and strengthening the family system and values education.

Despite these initiatives, violence against women and children continues unabated because of the weakness in addressing the root causes, as well as lapses in the response mechanism. A more concerted effort and a sustained campaign and advocacy programme on women and children’s rights should be organized. There is a need to exercise more political will to enforce and implement existing laws on women and children and for the government to build up stronger cases against their abusers. Likewise, there is the urgency of training law enforcers, judges, prosecutors and media practitioners in handling cases of women and children.

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